In order to be a writer in twenty-first century, you must be computer savvy. The publishing industry is undergoing vast changes from the old hardback print book to the digital edition. Nearly all books published now are published digitally and I daresay there will come a time when a book in print is difficult to come by.
Before you turn up your nose at digital books, allow me to introduce you to the royalty check. Digital royalties typically run 3.75 % of the cover price whereas print royalties are .25 %. Ouch. For a digital book with a 5$ cover, I’ll get roughly 3 bucks of that with the rest going to the publisher. For a print book, one thin dime.
E readers are everywhere. Amazon’s Kindle is advertised daily. Books can be downloaded instantly and your entire library can fit on one jump drive.
Nearly all publishers now require electronic submissions which require the writer to know how to format a document in Word, how to attach that file to an email and then how to communicate with the editors, publishing house, editing process, all via the computer and the Internet.
Some of my books have never had a word printed on a piece of paper. Everything from conception to submission to editing to sales was handled on the computer. The only piece of paper I ever see regarding that book might be my royalty check.
If the computer is still a scary unknown to you, check with your local library. Many offer free classes on computer literacy.
If the computer is still a scary unknown to you, check with your local library. Many offer free classes on computer literacy.
Maintain a professional email account. Even if you use yahoo for your personal emails, choose a different email provider for contact with an editor. You don’t want the word Yahoo after your name. It’s also a good idea to use your name as your professional email rather than TigerFanGirl or TammiLovesPooh. Nowadays, an email letter will be your first contact with your prospective publisher. Make a good and professional impression.
Making friends with the computer is a must if you wish to break into today’s publishing market.
DEBRA GLASS is the author of over fifteen books of historical and paranormal romance, non-fiction, and folklore. The recipient of the National Society of Arts and Letters Alabama Screenwriter Award, she went on to win the NSAL Empire State Award for excellence in screenwriting. She received nominations as favorite erotic romance author with two of her books earning nominations as best erotic historical romance of 2009 from The Romance Studio. Two of Debra’s historical romances are currently finalists in Romance Writers of America’s Passionate Ink contest for published authors.
Debra is a member of Romance Writers of America, the Professional Authors’ Network, and Passionate Ink. She is also a member of RWA's Heart of Dixie chapter. She lives in Alabama with her real life hero, a couple of smart-aleck ghosts, and a diabolical black cat.
For more information about Debra or her books, click HERE
